Windows Memory Diagnostic

If your Windows machine is regularly crashing, freezing or giving you the dreaded blue screen of death, it could have defective physical memory. Luckily, Windows 7 through Windows 11 have a built-in tool to help you test for this.

Select Restart now and check for problems, or select Check for problems the next time I start my computer. If you opt to restart and run the tool now, remember to save your work and close any open programs before doing so. Once the machine restarts, the tool will launch and run the memory test (Figure B).

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If you have multiple RAM DIMMs, I recommend buying and then swapping each in turn before re-running the memory test to isolate the defective RAM. You may not need to pay to replace multiple DIMMs if only one is faulty.

Your computer's random access memory (RAM) is its working memory. Your computer's operating system and applications are continually writing data to RAM and reading it back. For example, when you load a web page like this one, your web browser stores it in RAM while you're reading it. When you launch a PC game, the game loads information from slower system storage (like a solid-state drive or hard drive) into much faster RAM.

The tool will boot and automatically start scanning your memory, running through test after test and informing you if it finds a problem. It will keep running tests until you choose to stop it, allowing you to test how the memory behaves over a longer period of time. Information about any errors will be displayed on your screen. When you're done, you can just press the "Esc" key to exit it and restart your computer.

If memory tests give you errors, it's very possible that your RAM---at least one of the sticks---is faulty and needs to be replaced. We recommend you contact your PC's manufacturer for service if it's still under warranty.

i inserted them again started the pc and turn on Windows memory diagnostic again its been about 10 mins and ni problems found right now . I Will let it run and finish and probably do a mem86 test aswell.

QVL doesen't take in account the quality of the CPU memory controller, that's the same reason why you're never guaranteed to be able to run those high 5GHz kits by just enabling XMP as that requires a lot more manual tuning with the BIOS besides just simply enabling XMP.

I then started the memory test on a VM with Windows 10 and 8 GB of RAM.The test results are well-hidden, but I found them in the Event Viewer,under Windows Logs -> System, as events which have "MemoryDiagnostics" in the Source column :

But Windows built in memtest.exe is different. I opened Windows 7 64-bit c:\Boot\memtest.exe, and it shows me, that it's 32-bit application. I guess Microsoft made one tool for both 32-bit/64-bit hardware. That will run instead of Your OS, in "pre-OS mode", PC "boots" into memtest instead of Your OS. Tool may work in its own mode, not linked to OS(64-bit mode or 32-bit or even 16-bit "real" mode). Tool doesn't use any OS components, like DLLs, device drivers. I believe if we have same binary for 32-bit and 64-bit it should check all available memory including Your 16GB.

I recently started hitting some performance issues and game crashes while playing UE4 games that previously ran just fine. I dug around a little and found that bad memory could cause these types of issues, and I had some problems with static electricity and shocking myself when sitting down and touching my keyboard this past winter. (FWIW, the PC performs ok if I'm not gaming, and dxdiag reports my hardware correctly)

It could be failing memory, but it could also be too high of a memory overclock. Testing them one at a time would help narrow that down though. If they test fine one at a time, then I would suggest trying the next lowest SPD grade. (i.e. 1866mhz) and see if the system is any more stable.

Yes, the memory is rated for 2133mhz, but your CPU is only rated for 1600mhz . So you are overclocking the memory controller on your CPU. Thjis is why we suggested to try 1866mhz. if it will run at 1866mhz then it's your CPU limiting you , not the memory. You may also need to bump your memory voltage at 2133mhz. So with the XMP profile enabled try setting the DIMM voltage to 1.55 to 1.6v and re-run memtest.

RAM is a crucial component that ensures a system's correct operation. Simply put, RAM is equivalent to short-term memory, where your system stores information while working on a current task. Therefore, defective memory can have a catastrophic impact on your work. In most cases, RAM typically outlasts the rest of the components inside your system, unless you're transitioning from an old standard to a new one, like DDR4 to DDR5. It's rare for RAM to fail, but it does happen. Like any computer part, even the best RAM will eventually fail, so you'll want to know what to do when it happens to you.

RAM doesn't usually stop working out of the blue. Often, there are early signs of a failing or faulty DIMM. But yes, receiving DOA (dead on arrival) RAM isn't uncommon, like any other PC component. General symptoms of bad RAM include random blue screens of death (BSOD), system crashes or restarts, operating system freezes, and missing memory. In a worst-case scenario, your system might not even post and welcome you with multiple beeps.

Before running any diagnostics on your RAM, you should ensure it's running at the stock default frequency. Many of you are running Intel XMP 3.0 or AMD EXPO memory kits, so it's best to differentiate between an unstable memory overclock from a defective DIMM or DIMMs. A shaky overclock causes similar symptoms as faulty RAM. Therefore, the first step to detecting faulty memory is to return your system to the factory default. You can do so by resetting the firmware to default inside your motherboard's BIOS or pressing some motherboards' dedicated "Clear CMOS" button from the rear panel.

The best software for weeding out defective RAM depends on who you ask. From our experience, testing your RAM with at least two different programs should be sufficient. The odds of one software not detecting the faulty DIMM are present, but it's unlikely to fool two testers. Of course, if your results come back negative, but you still have heavy suspicions that you have a bad DIMM, it wouldn't hurt to as for a third opinion. All the software that we're rounded up is free. Payment unlocks additional options, but the basic version is more than enough for diagnosing bad DIMMs. There are other options out there too. Coincidentally, the software for detecting faulty DIMMs is also popular for overclockers evaluating the stability of memory overclocks. Although we're using DDR5 for the article, the guide is still valid on older formats, such as DDR4 and prior.

PassMark's MemTest86 is a reliable tool for testing memory without the need for an operating system, meaning it will work on Windows machines as well as Linux computers. It runs off a bootable USB stick, and although it looks complicated, it is very straightforward to use.

MemTest86 is presently the only software that can indicate the faulty DIMM or DIMMs, even if all your memory slots are populated. It's a paid feature, though. In its current state, it's only supported on select platforms leveraging DDR5 memory.

For Linux users, the Google Stressful Application Test (GSAT) is an excellent tool for diagnosing memory errors. Alternatively, you can run GSAT in Windows using Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). However, it doesn't have the same effect, which is why we so we recommend using GSAT in its native environment.

The -W argument asks GSAT to utilize a more stressful memory copy for the processor. Meanwhile, the -s argument refers to the number of seconds to run the tool. Unlike other software based on passes or cycles, GSAT runs according to your specified time. On the norm, one to two hours are more than adequate to assess whether you have a bad DIMM.

If you didn't get any errors: congratulations. Your memory is in working order. However, if BSODs and other problems continue to plague your system, the problem lies elsewhere. The only way to solve a faulty DIMM issue is to replace it with a working one. Technically, you can repair DIMMs by swapping the defective ICs for fresh ones. However, it's not a procedure for the average consumer. Luckily, the majority, if not all, RAM comes with a limited lifetime warranty. Therefore, the first thing you should do is contact the manufacturer and request an RMA.

The RMA should go through without hiccups if you've been using your RAM within the vendor's specifications. If, for some reason, your RMA is denied and you need to buy a replacement with your own money, we keep an updated hierarchy of the fastest DDR4 and DDR5 memory kits for the latest Intel and AMD processors.

You're going to want either memory diagnostic or boot with memtest if you want to check for any pool issues or other problems with your RAM. The task manager or the fact that it's booting doesn't necessarily mean every section of the RAM is working.

Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD) was a software tool developed by Microsoft to assist in the diagnostics of 1990s-era computers. Users primarily deployed this tool to provide detailed technical information about the user's software and hardware and to print the gathered information, usually for use by support technicians in troubleshooting and resolving problems.[1][2][3] The assumptions made by the program were valid until the late 1990s: it does not handle plug-and-play USB or other new technologies that appeared around 2000.

System Memory is usually the most stable component in a computer build but sometimes failing sticks can cause errors, crashes or issues with applications. You can run the Windows Memory Diagnostic (bottom) which occasionally will identify a memory error, but the PassMark MemTest86 software is far more effective and robust. This guide will walk you through each tools purpose, how to initiate them, and then what to learn from the outputs. e24fc04721